Get The Skinny On Toxic Fragrances in Aveda & Other Beauty Products

I am amazed at the number of people I run into who recommend I try Aveda products because of their safety and purity.
Without going too far into dissecting all of their products and telling you which ones use GMO’s and which ones have awful ratings by the Environmental Working Group I will just focus on one ingredient, FRAGRANCE aka Essence, Parfum, Aroma. In all honesty, I really wish Aveda would remove all fragrances and synthetic chemicals from their products and also use non-GMO ingredients. Doing this would open up their products to a completely new demographic. One can wish.

“The word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.” Environmental Working Group

Dr. Anne C. Steinemann a scientist and expert on fragrances says this “Fragranced consumer products—such as air fresheners, laundry supplies, personal care products, and cleaners—contain chemicals that are not disclosed to the public.
No law in the U.S. requires disclosure of all chemical ingredients in a consumer product.
No law in the U.S. requires disclosure of any ingredients in a chemical mixture called fragrance.”

Are you shocked yet? It breaks my heart to see and hear about so many people who unknowingly are poisoning their body via the products they use on their skin. From cleaning products to cosmetics and personal care products, Fragrances are the toxic ingredient no one is talking about despite it hurting millions of people each year.

Sadly in the U.S. any company can make a cosmetic product and label it as safe, non-toxic, all natural and even say that it is organic.
Our government has not set up any laws yet which require disclosure of all the chemical ingredients in a consumer product.
In addition to this, there are no laws in the U.S. that require disclosure of the ingredients in any given fragrance. This means you can purchase an all-natural shampoo and if it has the word “fragrance” in the list of ingredients you have no clue on what chemicals were added to the product in the manufacturing process. These chemicals can be chemicals that have been banned and known to cause cancer, reproductive issues, neurological damage etc. yet they are allowed. For more information on this please click here.

Even worse the “FDA lacks the authority to require manufacturers to test cosmetics for safety, including fragranced products before they are sold to consumers. As a result, people using perfume, cologne, body spray and other scented cosmetics like lotion and aftershave are unknowingly exposed to chemicals that may increase their risk for certain health problems.” Source

I could go on and on but I won’t, instead, I will leave links below to helpful resources concerning the dangers of fragrances in cosmetics and cleaning products. Please do the research to protect your health and the health of your family. Eating healthy organic food, exercising and avoiding GMO’s are not the only changes needed for good health. Avoidance of chemicals in everyday products and in our environment is also extremely important for maintaining optimal health.

Please don’t be the person who watches everything you put into your mouth but then slathers pounds of toxic chemicals on your body each month. When I think about this topic I always imagine a beautiful woman who works out and has defined legs, abs and arms. She plants her own greens and fruits, makes her food from scratch, exercises avoids sugar and eats lots of nutrient-dense foods. But just before she leaves home she showers her beautifully sculpted body in gasoline. She then sprays more gasoline all over her before walking out the door.
This may sound extreme but it is literally a picture of what millions of women and men do each day. It is a picture of myself many, many moons ago. Thankfully I learned about the toxic chemicals used in perfume and cosmetics over a decade ago and what I found out changed my life forever.

Make the change out of love for your body, in the end, your cells and organs will thank you by blessing you with good health.